Issued  October  18, 1910. 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


FARMERS’  BULLETIN  416. 


THE  PRODUCTION  OF  CIGAR-LEAF 
TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


BY 

WILLIAM  RWR^VR, 

Vice- Director  and  Chemist  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station , 

AND 

R.  K.  HIBSHMAN, 

Collaborator  of  the  Office  of  Tobacco  Investigations , 
Bureau  of  Plant  Industry. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE. 

1910. 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL 


U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 

Bureau  of  Plant  Industry, 

Office  of  the  Chief, 

1 V  ashing  ton,  D.  C.,  July  18,  1910. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  a  manuscript  entitled 
u  The  Production  of  Cigar-Leaf  Tobacco  in  Pennsylvania,”  by  Prof. 
William  Frear,  Vice-Director  and  Chemist  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  and  Mr.  E.  K.  Hibshman,  Col¬ 
laborator  of  the  Office  of  Tobacco  Investigations,  Bureau  of  Plant 
Industry.  I  recommend  that  this  manuscript  be  published  as  a 
Farmers’  Bulletin. 

Respectfully,  Wm,  A.  Taylor, 

Acting  Chief  of  Bureau . 

Hon.  James  Wilson, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture . 

416 

V 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

Introduction .  5 

Character  of  the  cigar-leaf  tobacco  produced  in  Pennsylvania .  5 

Varieties  grown .  5 

Influence  of  the  climate .  6 

Localized  concentration  of  tobacco  culture .  7 

Soils  devoted  to  tobacco  culture .  7 

Cultural  methods .  9 

Similarity  of  methods  used  in  all  districts .  9 

Tobacco-farm  systems .  9 

Seedbeds..' .  10 

Preparing  the  soil . 11 

Transplanting .  12 

Cultivation .  13 

Topping .  14 

Seed  plants .  14 

Suckering .  14 

Harvesting .  15 

Curing  and  handling .  17 

Curing  sheds .  17 

The  curing  process .  19 

The  dampening  cellar .  20 

Artificial  means  of  dampening . . .  20 

Stripping  and  sorting .  21 

Cost  of  production .  21 

Tobacco  diseases  and  enemies .  22 

Cultural  methods  deserving  special  consideration  by  the  tobacco  growers  of 
Pennsylvania .  23 


IL  LUSTRATIONS. 


Page. 

Fig.  1.  Typical  plant  of  Pennsylvania  Havana  tobacco .  6 

2.  Typical  plant  of  Pennsylvania  Seedleaf,  or  Broadleaf,  tobacco .  7 

3.  Tobacco  seed  beds,  showing  the  glass  removed  and  the  cloth  rolled 

back .  11 

4.  A  type  of  tobacco  planter  commonly  used  in  Pennsylvania .  12 

5.  A  tobacco  hoeing  machine .  13 

6.  Field  of  tobacco,  showing  the  method  used  by  the  harvesters  in  cutting 

the  stalks  with  long-handled  shears . . .  16 

7.  Field  of  tobacco  during  harvest,  showing  the  way  the  stalks  are  strung 

on  laths,  the  manner  of  scaffolding,  and  the  type  of  wagon  used  in 
hauling  the  tobacco  to  the  curing  shed .  17 

8.  A  tobacco  curing  shed  with  horizontal  ventilators .  18 

9.  Field  of  tobacco,  showing  a  banner  crop  of  Pennsylvania  Seedleaf -  24 

416 


3 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


https://archive.org/details/productionofciga4014frea 


B.  P.  I.  596. 


THE  PRODUCTION  OF  CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO 

IN  PENNSYLVANIA.' 


INTRODUCTION. 

Pennsylvania  is  one  of  the  four  States  leading  in  the  production  of 
cigar-leaf  tobacco  in  the  United  States.  The  Twelfth  Census  showed 
that  the  leaf  was  grown  upon  9,621  farms  of  the  State  and  that  the 
total  area  devoted  to  the  culture  was  27,760  acres,  with  a  yield  of 
41,500,000  pounds,  worth  nearly  $3,000,000;  so  that  at  that  time 
(1900)  Pennsylvania  ranked  third  in  acreage,  yield,  and  value  of 
tobacco  among  the  cigar-tobacco  States. 

The  Yearbook  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture 
for  1908  showed  that  in  acreage  of  cigar-leaf  tobacco  Pennsylvania 
ranked  below  Ohio  and  Wisconsin,  in  production  second  only  to  Wis¬ 
consin,  and  that  in  total  value  of  the  product  Pennsylvania  ranked 
first,  while  Connecticut,  fourth  in  the  particulars  first  stated,  led  all 
the  other  States  in  the  value  per  pound  of  leaf. 

CHARACTER  OF  THE  CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  PRODUCED  IN 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

VARIETIES  GROWN. 

The  tobacco  produced  in  Pennsylvania  is  dark  and  rather  heavy, 
and  therefore  useful  chiefly  as  a  cigar  filler,  like  that  of  Ohio,  in  con¬ 
trast  with  that  of  Wisconsin,  which  is  largely  useful  for  binders,  and 
with  that  of  Connecticut,  which  is  much  used  for  wrappers.  When 
properly  fertilized,  matured,  cured,  and  sweated,  Pennsylvania  to¬ 
bacco  is  characterized  by  a  mild,  agreeable  aroma  and  freedom  from 
bitter,  resinous,  metallic,  and  rank  flavors,  and  it  burns  well,  leaving 
in  most  cases  a  coherent  white  ash.  This  tobacco  blends  well  in  a 
cigar  with  a  tobacco  of  more  pronounced' aroma  and  flavor,  such  as 
'the  Zimmer,  Dutch,  Yr  Cuban.  v  — 

The  leaf  is  produced  almost  exclusively  from  local  strains  of  the 
Connecticut  Seedleaf  variety,  better  designated  as.  Pennsylvania 

°The  following  Farmers’  Bulletins  on  tobacco  may  be  obtained  free  of  cost 
upon  application  to  any  Member  of  Congress  or  to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture : 
No.  GO,  Methods  of  Curing  Tobacco ;  No.  82,  The  Culture  of  Tobacco ;  No.  83, 
Tobacco  Soils;  No.  120,  Insects  Affecting  Tobacco;  No.  343,  The  Cultivation  of 
Tobacco  in  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

416 


5 


6 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


Broadleaf,  and  from  the  Pennsylvania  Havana  variety,  although  the 
latter  is  now  grown  much  less  than  formerly.  (See  figs.  1  and  2.) 


INFLUENCE  OF  THE  CLIMATE. 

The  climate  of  Pennsylvania  peculiarly  affects  the  character  of  the 
tobacco  produced  and  is  dominant  in  its  influence  over  those  of  soil 

and  heredity,  despite 
the  great  variety  of 
soils  and  the  wide 
range  of  altitudes  in 
the  districts  where 
tobacco  growing  is 
an  important  item  in 
the  farming  industry. 
No  matter  what  va¬ 
riety  of  tobacco  is  in¬ 
troduced,  the  leaf 
gradually  becomes 
long  and  broad  in 
shape,  and  the  flavor 
and  aroma  become 
mild.  It  is  worthy 
of  note  that  plants  of 
the  Zimmer  and 
Dutch  varieties  ob¬ 
tained  from  Ohio  in 
practically  the  same 
latitude  tend  to  re¬ 
tain  their  character¬ 
istic  aroma  longer 
than  those  g  r  o  w  n 
fro  m  Cuban  seed, 
even  from  the  Vuelta 
Aba  jo  district,  which 
in  the  new  environ¬ 
ment,  even  in  the  first 
Fig.  1. — Typical  plant  of  Pennsylvania  Havana  tobacco.  generation  almost  en¬ 

tirely  lack  their  normal  aromatic  character,  although  they  do  not 
at  once  assume  that  of  the  tobaccos  thoroughly  acclimated  in  the 
State.  Yet  the  top  leaves  of  sheltered  Sumatra  plants  grown  on 
light,  sandy  soils  in  a  large  measure  retain  in  the  new  environment, 
even  in  the  fifth  generation,  their  peculiar  cinnamon-like  aroma  and 
bitter  flavor,  although  the  locally  characteristic  leaf  shape  develops 
rapidly  in  the  first  generation. 

416 


Cigar-leaf  tobacco  in  Pennsylvania, 


1 


LOCALIZED  CONCENTRATION  OF  TOBACCO  CULTURE. 


Although  tobacco  has  been  grown  in  Pennsylvania  since  1689  and 
has  been  produced  of  satisfactory  quality  over  a  large  portion  of 
the  State  on  single  farms  and  for  a  few  seasons,  the  industry  is  to-day 
concentrated,  as  the 
result  of  economic 
causes,  in  a  few  re¬ 
gions.  Lancaster  and 
York  counties  lead 
all  others,  the  former 
having  in  1908  two- 
thirds  of  the  entire 
acreage  of  the  State, 
the  latter  more  than 
one-seventh.  Brad¬ 
ford  and  Tioga 
counties  form  a  dis¬ 
trict  standing  sec¬ 
ond,  with  a  combined 
area  of  nearlv  one- 
ninth  of  the  acreage 
of  the  State,  while 

Clinton  and  Lvcom- 

« 

ing  counties  consti¬ 
tute  a  third  district, 
with  one  twentv- 
seventh  of  the  total 
tobacco  acreage  of 
the  State.  The  coun¬ 
ties  of  Berks,  Bucks, 

Chester,  Juniata,  and 
Lebanon,  adjacent  to 
the  Lancaster- York 
district,  produce  con¬ 
siderable  yields  of 
the  leaf  and  have  the 
same  sale  centers.  In 
like  manner  North¬ 
umberland  County,  adjacent  to  the  Clint on-Lycoming  district,  makes 

* 

a  considerable  addition  to  the  total  area  and  product. 


Fig.  2. — Typical  plant  of  Pennsylvania  Seedleaf,  or  Broad- 
leaf,  tobacco.  The  seed  head  has  been  covered  with  a 
paper  bag  to  prevent  cross-fertilization. 


SOILS  DEVOTED  TO  TOBACCO  CULTURE. 

In  the  Lancaster-York  district  tobacco  is  grown  chiefly  upon  lime¬ 
stone  soils,®  the  Hagerstown  loams  forming  the  more  northerly  belt, 


See  Pennsylvania  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  Report,  1S94,  pp.  136-168. 
416 


a 


8 


CtGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


and  the  Conestoga  loams,  in  which  the  presence  of  damourite  of 
hydromica  influences  the  soil  character  and  in  which  the  phosphoric 
acid  is  more  abundant,  the  more  southerly  belt.  The  Penn  sandy 
loams  of  northern  Lancaster,  derived  from  the  Mesozoic  or  New 
Red  sandstones  of  the  region,  and  the  sandy  alluvium  of  the  Sus¬ 
quehanna  islands  and  the  gravelly  banks  of  that  river,  whose  soils 
are  classed  as  of  the  Susquehanna  series,  produce  a  thinner  leaf,  more 
largely  useful  for  binders  and  wrappers.  Indeed,  the  Penn  sandy 
loams  have  produced,  when  covered  by  shelter,  Sumatra-type  leaf 
of  excellent  wrapper  quality,  and  these  localities  are  still  the  seat  of 
a  considerable  culture  of  the  Pennsylvania  Havana  variety  for  wrap¬ 
per  purposes,  although  the  greater  yields  per  acre  obtained  from 
Connecticut  Seedleaf  are  gradually  completing  the  abandonment  of 
the  former  variety.  It  is  noteworthy  that  York  County  tobacco  is 
generally  thought  by  Lancaster  County  tobacco  packers,  who  buy 
it  very  largely,  to  require,  in  fitting  it  for  the  use  of  the  cigar  maker, 
a  much  longer  period  of  case  sweating  than  Lancaster  County  leaf, 
otherwise  apparently  the  same,  is  found  to  require.  Whether  this 
peculiarity  is  general  and  whether  it  is  to  be  attributed  to  differences 
in  soil  or  in  climate  has  not  yet  been  ascertained. 

In  the  Bradford-Tioga  district,  tobacco  was  first  grown  upon  the 
river  bottoms®  of  the  North  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  but  for  the 
sake  of  securing  a  leaf  of  thinner  texture  and  smaller  vein  and  rib,  the 
culture  has  retreated  to  the  higher  benches  of  the  river  and,  in  Tioga, 
has  even  climbed  toward  the  hilltops.  The  former  soils  are  sandy 
loams  and  in  some  cases  coarse  gravels,  and  will  probably  be  classed 
with  the  Susquehanna  series  unless  the  glacial  origin  of  part  of  the 
alluvial  material  may  lead  to  a  distinctive  classification.  The  soils 
of  Tioga  are  more  largely  of  glacial  formation,  but  on  the  hillsides 
and  hilltops,  stripped  of  glacial  drift,  they  may  be  classed  with  the 
new  Warren  series,  although  the  geological  series  exposed  in  Tioga 
County  are  not  identical  with  those  of  Warren  and  McKean  counties. 
The  tobaccos  of  this  district  shade  in  character  into  those  of  the  ad¬ 
jacent  regions  of  New  York  State  and  are  largely  bought  and  packed 
by  Elmira  and  Binghamton  packers. 

In  the  Clinton-Lycoming  district,  tobacco  culture  is  confined  almost 
exclusively  to  the  bottom  lands  of  the  West  Branch  of  the  Susque¬ 
hanna  River  and  to  those  of  its  principal  tributaries,  the  soils  belong¬ 
ing  in  consequence  to  the  Susquehanna  series.  In  this  district  a  con¬ 
siderable  acreage  of  tobacco  was  formerly  grown  on  the  higher  lands 
of  Nittany  and  Bald  Eagle  valleys,  but  its  culture  has  now  been  dis¬ 
continued  in  these  localities.  The  tobaccos  of  this  district  are  bought 

“An  analysis  of  tliis  soil  is  given  in  Pennsylvania  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station  Report,  1898-9,  p.  73. 

416 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


9 


for  packing  both  by  Lancaster  and  by  Elmira  packers.  While  some 
wrapper  leaf  is  produced  in  the  two  districts  last  considered,  the  to¬ 
bacco  in  general  is  of  the  dark,  heavy,  coarse-veined,  filler  type. 

CULTURAL  METHODS. 

SIMILARITY  OF  METHODS  USED  IN  ALL  DISTRICTS. 

While  the  three  districts  previously  mentioned  are  widely  sepa¬ 
rated  by  broad  bands  of  territory  in  which  tobacco  is  not  grown,  the 
methods  of  culture  prevalent  in  the  several  districts  are  almost  iden¬ 
tical. 

The  following  account  of  cultural  methods,  based  chiefly  upon 
Lancaster  County  practice,  applies  equally  well  to  the  other  tobacco- 
producing  districts,  although  occasional  differences  in  method  ap¬ 
pearing  in  the  Clinton  and  Bradford  districts  will  receive  mention. 

TOBACCO-FARM  SYSTEMS. 

In  Pennsylvania  the  continuous  system  of  tobacco  growing  is  ex¬ 
ceptional.  Tobacco  generally  takes  its  place  in  rotation  with  other 
crops.  On  the  average  farm  these  include  as  the  principal  crops 
wheat,  grass  (timothy  and  clover),  corn,  and  potatoes.  A  four-year 
system  consisting  of  (1)  wheat,  (2)  grass,  (3)  corn,  (4)  tobacco  is 
generally  used,  although  some  growers  use  a  three-year  system  con¬ 
sisting  of  (1)  wheat,  (2)  grass,  (3)  tobacco.  In  this  latter  system 
tobacco  follows  sod,  which  is  less  desirable  on  account  of  the  in¬ 
creased  danger  from  cutworms,  which  some  seasons  badly  molest  the 
tobacco  grown  after  sod.  During  the  winter  beef  cattle  are  fattened 
on  the  corn  and  roughage  grown-.  The  main  money  crop,  however, 
is  tobacco  and  it  has  become  the  most  characteristic  of  Lancaster 
County  crops.  Upon  this  product  is  based  an  extensive  and  highly 
diversified  industry,  beginning  with  the  grower  and  his  skilled 
laborers  and  extending  to  the  manufacture  of  finished  tobacco  prod¬ 
ucts.  In  the  other  districts  packing  establishments  are  few  and 
cigar  manufacturing  less  extensive. 

While  many  farm  owners  grow  considerable  areas  of  tobacco  by 
the  aid  of  either  their  own  families  or  hired  skilled  labor,  a  large  pro¬ 
portion  of  the  crop  is  raised  by  tenant  farmers  or  by  croppers.  The 
owner  in  the  latter  cases  has  an  interest  in  all  the  crops  grown,  while 
the  cropper  rents  land  solely  for  the  growing  of  tobacco  and  is  inter¬ 
ested  in  that  crop  alone.  These  differences  in  interest  have  given 
rise  to  two  distinct  forms  of  contract. 

The  contract  with  the  tenant  farmer  commonly  requires  that  he 
furnish  all  labor,  manure,  teams,  cultivating  and  harvesting  imple¬ 
ments,  and  all  materials  necessary  for  stripping,  while  the  landowner 
54G410— Bui.  416—10 - 2 


10 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


furnishes  the  curing  shed  and  sometimes  the  laths  on  which  the 
tobacco  is  hung  while  curing.  The  owner  receives  for  his  pay  a  share 
of  the  crop,  commonly  one-half,  and  the  tenant  or  owner  may  sell 
his  share  without  reference  to  the  other  party. 

Under  the  cropper’s  contract,  the  owner  commonly  prepares  the 
land,  furnishes  the  manure  upon  the  ground,  and  supplies  teams  and 
implements  for  cultivation  and  harvesting,  in  addition  to  main¬ 
taining  the  curing  shed,  with  its  necessary  supply  of  laths,  and  pro¬ 
viding  a  team  for  the  delivery  of  the  crop  after  its  sale.  The  crop¬ 
per,  on  the  other  hand,  spreads  the  manure,  provides  all  labor 
necessary  for  growing,  curing,  and  stripping,  and  provides  one-half 
of  the  fuel,  twine,  and  paper  used  in  the  stripping  operation.  The 
crop  is  shared  equally  by  the  two  parties  to  the  contract,  each  of 
whom  may  sell  his  share  independently  of  the  other. 

In  the  Clinton-Lycoming  district,  the  contract  between  the  farmer 
and  either  tenant  or  cropper  is  essentially  the  cropper’s  contract 
above  outlined.  In  this  district,  however,  the  tobacco  is  packed  by 
the  growers  in  cases  containing  BOO  pounds,  and  the  expense  of  the 
packing  is  equally  divided  between  the  farmer  and  the  tenant  or 
cropper. 

SEED  BEDS. 

The  selected  seed  is  first  planted  early  in  the  season  in  a  warm  seed 
bed  and  transplanted  when  the  plants  have  attained  proper  matu¬ 
rity  and  the  soil  and  weather  have  become  suitable  for  their  vigorous 
development. 

A  well-protected  spot,  conveniently  near  a  water  supply,  is  selected 
as  the  site  for  the  seed  bed.  The  bed  usuallv  consists  of  a  cold  frame 
about  8  feet  wide  and  of  any  convenient  length,  and  is  made  of  12- 
inch  boards  fastened  to  stakes  driven  into  the  ground  at  regular 
intervals.  The  whole  bed  is  covered  with  muslin  immediatelv  after 
the  seed  is  sown,  in  order  that  the  young  plants  may  very  quickly  be 
forced  into  a  growing  condition. 

Some  careful  growers  construct  a  number  of  smaller  cold  frames 
of  definite  dimensions  and,  instead  of  covering  the  whole  with  muslin, 
put  glass  over  a  part,  thereby  making  a  more  efficient  hotbed  than 
the  one  above  described.  (See  fig.  3.)  This  method  is  not  used  in 
the  Clinton-Lycoming  district. 

The  seed  is  usually  sown  about  the  first  of  April.  Tobacco  seed  is 
considerably  smaller  than  clover  seed  and  is  therefore  very  difficult 
to  distribute  evenly.  A  convenient  way  of  sowing  is  to  stir  a  table- 
spoonful  of  seed  into  a  2-gallon  sprinkling  can  full  of  water  and 
then  sprinkle  the  water  evenly  upon  the  bed.  An  even  tablespoonful 
of  seed  will  sow  about  1  square  rod. 

416 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


11 


In  the  Clinton-Lycoming  district  many  growers  mix  the  seed  with 
a  convenient  quantity  of  dry  wood  ashes  to  make  a  bulkv  mixture  and 
then  sow  the  mixture. 

As  soon  as  the  seed  is  sown  the  muslin  covering  is  stretched  over 
the  bed  and  is  removed  only  to  water  the  soil  and  to  pull  the  weeds. 
In  clrv  weather  it  is  necessary  that  the  beds  be  watered  at  least  three 
or  four  times  a  week.  Care  must  be  taken  that  too  much  water  is  not 
used,  since  excessive  moisture  tends  to  favor  various  fungous  diseases. 


Fig.  3. — Tobacco  seed  beds,  showing  the  glass  removed  and  the  cloth  rolled  back. 


PREPARING  THE  SOIL. 


In  order  to  retain  the  soil  moisture,  the  tobacco  land  is  plowed 
early  and  an  occasional  harrowing  given  it  up  to  the  planting  time. 
Before  planting  it  is  cultivated  thoroughly,  so  as  to  make  the  soil  as 
loose  and  mellow  as  possible.  Stable  manure  is  the  chief  fertilizer, 
horse  manure  being  considered  especially  valuable,  and  this  is  some¬ 
times  plowed  under  and  sometimes  applied  on  top.  The  Clinton 

* 

Countv  growers  state  that  since  thev  have  discontinued  the  use  of 
cow  manure  and  have  used  only  horse  manure  their  percentage  of 
a  calicoed  ”  tobacco  has  been  less.  A  common  dressing  is  10  loads 
per  acre.  The  use  of  commercial  fertilizers  is  increasing,  but  they 

416 


12 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


are  not  used  as  extensively  as  in  Connecticut.0  Formerly  the  com¬ 
mercial  tobacco  fertilizers  offered  contained  potash  in  the  form  of 
chlorid,  with  the  resultant  danger  of  injuring  the  burn  of  the  cigar. 
Now,  however,  the  sulphate  is  used  and  sometimes  the  carbonate. 
Tobacco  stems  are  frequently  bought  from  the  manufacturers  and 
used  as  a  fertilizer. 

After  the  plants  have  grown  to  the  height  of  5  to  G  inches  and 
have  developed  from  5  to  T  leaves,  they  have  reached  a  desirable  stage 
for  planting.  Before  the  plants  are  pulled  from  the  seed  beds  they 
should  be  thoroughly  watered,  in  order  that  the  small  roots  may  not 
be  torn  off  and  that  as  much  soil  as  possible  may  adhere  to  them. 


Fig.  4. — A  type  of  tobacco  planter  commonly  used  in  Pennsylvania. 

In  drawing  the  young  plants  from  the  beds  for  transplanting,  they 
should  be  taken  up  one  at  a  time,  and  care  should  be  exercised  to  see 
that  all  diseased  and  injured  plants  are  discarded. 

TRANSPLANTING. 

The  plants  are  set  out  in  rows  either  by  hand  or  with  a  planter ;  in 
the  Clinton-Lycoming  district  exclusively  by  the  latter  method.  They 
are  set  from  IS  to  30  inches  apart  in  the  rows,  and  the  rows  are  from 
3G  to  48  inches  apart.  The  distance  apart  at  which  the  plants  are 
set  depends  upon  the  strength  of  the  soil  and  also  upon  the  variety 
and  character  of  the  tobacco.  The  plants  of  the  Pennsylvania  Broad- 

°A  record  of  soil  tests  with  fertilizers  on  Hagerstown  and  Conestoga  loams 
in  Lancaster  County  and  on  Susquehanna  alluvium  in  Bradford  County  is  given 
in  Pennsylvania  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  Report,  1S9S-09,  pp.  11-79. 

416 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


13 


leaf  tobacco  are  set  from  21  to  30  inches  apart  in  the  rows,  and  the 
rows  are  from  3G  to  12  inches  apart. 

Throughout  Lancaster  County  it  is  the  common  practice  to  trans¬ 
plant  the  tobacco  crop  by  machinery.  There  are  upon  the  market  a 
number  of  machines  designed  for  this  purpose.  The  machine  shown 
in  figure  1  is  drawn  by  two  horses,  and  carries  a  driver  and  two  other 
persons  to  set  the  plants,  each  person  setting  every  alternate  plant. 
A  V-shaped  plow  makes  an  opening  into  which  the  plant  is  set,  and 
it  is  held  in  place  bv  the  hand  until  the  soil  has  been  packed  around 
the  roots  by  means  of  a  couple  of  paddle-shaped  blades  which  follow 
the  plow  and  draw 
the  soil  together  and 
slightly  compact  it. 

By  means  of  a  gear¬ 
ing  on  the  wheels, 
quantities  of  water 
are  liberated  at  uni¬ 
form  distances  apart. 

Tliev  indicate  the 
points  w  h  ere  the 
plants  are  to  be  set. 

The  method  of  trans¬ 
planting  by  machinery 
enables  the  grower  to 
transplant  in  dry 
weather.  The  ma¬ 
chine  gives  the  soil  an 
additional  working  and  also  waters  each  plant  at  the  roots.  Three 
men  with  a  transplanter  can  set  as  many  as  1,800  plants  in  half  a  day. 

Some  replanting  is  always  necessary,  and  this  is  done  by  hand, 
usually  at  a  time  when  the  weather  conditions  are  favorable  for  start¬ 
ing  plants. 

CULTIVATION. 

The  field  should  be  cultivated  within  eight  or  ten  da  vs  after  the 
plants  have  been  set.  Just  recently  there  has  been  placed  upon  the 
market  a  machine  known  as  the  tobacco-hoer.  (See  fig.  5.)  This 
machine  is  drawn  by  two  horses  and  carries  a  driver  and  another 
man  to  operate  the  hoes.  It  is  a  great  labor-saving  device  and  works 
the  soil  as  thoroughly  as  does  the  hand  hoe. 

The  essential  thing  in  cultivating  is  to  keep  a  mulch  on  the  surface 
of  the  soil,  and  hence  the  cultivation  must  be  repeated  after  each 
rain.  The  hand  hoe  is  used  very  extensively  and  also  to  good  ad¬ 
vantage,  since  it  permits  cultivation  closer  to  the  plant  than  does  the 
ordinary  horsepower  machinery.  In  cultivating  tobacco  the  soil  is 

416 


14 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


always  worked  toward  the  plant  and  not  away  from  it.  The  period  of 
cultivation  ceases  when  the  leaves  have  become  so  spread  out  that  a 
horse  can  no  longer  pass  between  the  rows  without  damaging  the 
plants. 

TOPPING. 

“  The  objective  point  in  the  life  of  a  plant  is  the  production  of  seed 
for  the  perpetuation  of  the  species.  When  the  seed  head  forms  and 
develops,  the  nourishment  is  gradually  transferred  from  the  leaves 
and  used  for  the  formation  and  production  of  seed.  In  a  plant  like 
tobacco,  which  is  valued  for  the  quality  of  the  leaf,  it  is  necessary  to 
remove  the  seed  head  as  it  forms,  in  order  that  the  nutritive  substance 
may  remain  in  the  leaf.”0 

The  proper  time  for  topping  tobacco  is  a  matter  of  dispute,  but 
most  growers  prefer  to  top  just  as  soon  as  the  buds  have  attained 
such  size  that  they  can  be  readily  seized  and  removed  without 
injuring  the  leaves. 

In  cutting  or  pinching  out  the  buds,  care  must  be  exercised  not  to 
injure  the  tender  top  leaves.  A  very  slight  injury  will  develop  into 
a  serious  blemish  when  the  leaf  has  attained  its  fullest  expansion. 

Just  how  much  of  the  top  should  be  removed  in  taking  out  the  bud 
depends  upon  the  variety  of  the  tobacco  and  upon  the  strength  and 
vitality  of  the  individual  plant.  Strong,  vigorous  plants  can  be 
topped  high.  In  the  Pennsylvania  Broadleaf  varieties,  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  leaves  are  allowed  to  develop  on  a  plant,  though  sometimes 
twenty.  Since  not  all  the  plants  develop  their  buds  at  the  same  time, 
it  is  necessary  to  top  over  the  field  several  times.  The  topping  is  an 
important  factor  in  the  growing  of  tobacco  and  requires  good  judg¬ 
ment,  because  upon  it  depends  to  a  great  extent  the  uniformity  of 
the  crop. 

SEED  PLANTS. 

The  seed  plants  are  selected  at  the  time  of  topping  in  order  that 
their  top  buds  may  be  permitted  to  develop  to  maturity.  The  seed 
jiods  commonly  ripen  some  time  after  the  harvesting  of  the  main 
crop,  and  are  then  removed  and  dried  in  the  manner  common  with 
other  small-seeded  pod  fruits.  The  yield  of  seed  from  a  single  plant 
is  very  great. 

SUCKERING. 

As  soon  as  a  plant  is  topped  suckers  begin  to  develop  from  buds  in 
the  axil  of  the  leaf;  that  is,  at  the  point  where  the  leaf’s  midrib 
springs  out  from  the  stalk,  and  above,  rather  than  below,  the  midrib. 
Suckers  first  appear  in  the  axils  of  the  top  leaves,  and  later  in  those 
of  the  middle  and  lower  leaves.  In  the  Seedleaf  and  Havana 
varieties  they  are  almost  always  single;  rarely,  if  ever,  double.  In 
warm,  moist  weather  they  develop  very  rapidly.  Every  ounce  of 

°  See  Farmers’  Bulletin  82,  1898,  pp.  17-18. 

416 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


15 


plant  food  and  moisture  spent  upon  them  by  the  plant  is,  for  the 
filler-tobacco  grower’s  purpose,  so  much  waste  of  material.  It  is 
therefore  important  that  the  suckers  be  promptly  removed.  This  is 
best  done  by  pinching  the  axil  buds  as  soon  as  they  show  signs  of 
developing  into  suckers.  If  the  strain  of  plants  grown  is  highly 
productive  of  suckers  the  fields  must  be  suckered  over  every  two  or 
three  days  in  warm,  moist  weather  until  the  crop  is  ready  for  harvest. 
Where  a  leaf  has  been  injured  it  is  sometimes  removed  and  a  sucker 
allowed  to  develop  in  its  stead;  but  the  sucker  rarely  makes  a  good 
leaf,  and  usually  matures  much  later  than  the  main  leaves,  so  that  it 
introduces  a  source  of  difficulty  in  curing  the  crop.  The  time  and 
care  spent  in  suckering  can  be  largely  avoided  by  the  selection  of 
strains  with  little  tendency  to  produce  suckers.  In  the  Clinton- 
Lycoming  district  it  is  the  practice  to  sucker,  or  “  top,”  as  it  is  locally 
termed,  but  once,  about  ten  days  or  two  weeks  before  harvesting. 

HARVESTING. 

“  The  passage  of  the  various  constituents  of  a  plant  from  one  part 
of  it  to  another  as  the  plant  advances  to  maturity  is  a  capital  fact 
common  to  all  plants,  and  we  see  in  fact  that  the  oldest  leaves  grad¬ 
ually  wither  and  die  as  they  give  up  to  the  newer  parts  of  the  plant 
many  of  the  matters  that  were  contained  in  their  cells.  There  comes 
a  time  when  the  plant  ceases  to  draw  food  from  the  air  and  from  the 
soil,  and  devotes  itself  to  the  purpose  of  concentrating  the  nourish¬ 
ment  that  was  previously  scattered  through  all  its  parts.”® 

Despite  the  removal  of  its  flower  head,  the  topped  tobacco  plant  ex¬ 
periences  near  the  time  usual  with  the  seed  plant  a  change  in  its  leaves 
similar  to  that  which  goes  on  in  the  maturing  of  the  seed,  though  prob¬ 
ably  with  less  loss  of  substance.  The  bottom  or  “  sand  ”  leaves,  so 
called  because  of  their  nearness  to  the  soil  (being  often  bespattered 
with  sand),  have  usually  shrunk  and  yellowed,  or  even  dropped  off, 
while  those  about  the  middle  of  the  stalk  are  still  groAving  \figorously. 
The  process  of  ripening  progresses  from  the  bottom  upward. 

At  this  period  the  tobacco  leaves  begin  to  change  color  from  a 
dark  green  to  a  lighter  shade  and  take  on  a  mottled  appearance.  The 
first  evidence  of  ripening  is  the  change  of  color.  The  grower  usually 
depends  upon  several  other  tests  of  ripeness.  One  of  these  is  the 
thickening  of  the  leaf,  which  can  readily  be  determined  by  pressing  it 
betAA7een  the  thumb  and  forefinger.  In  addition  to  thickening,  the 
leaf  takes  on  a  distinctly  leathery  feeling.  Another  common  test 
of  filler  \arieties  is  to  turn  up  the  under  surface  of  the  leaf  and 
fold  the  leaf  between  the  fingers,  when,  if  ripe,  it  will  snap  or  crack 
and  retain  a  crease. 


41G 


a  See  Farmers’  Bulletin  82,  1898,  pp.  18-19. 


16 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


In  some  countries  and  in  the  case  of  some  varieties  the  practice 
is  to  remove  the  leaves  separately  as  they  ripen.  This  process  is 
termed  “  priming."  Where  it  is  practiced  the  stalks  are  left  in  the 
held  and  the  leaves  are  fastened  to  the  laths  in  the  curing  shed  by 
impaling  them  upon  wires  or  nails  set  in  the  laths  or  are  strung  upon 
a  cord  attached  to  the  ends  of  the  laths. 

The  filler  tobaccos,  and  indeed  all  tobaccos  generally  grown  in 
Pennsylvania,  are  harvested  on  the  stalk  as  nearly  as  may  be  at  the 
time  when  the  middle  leaves  of  the  held  of  plants  have  become  ripe. 
Vigorous  plants  set  out  about  the  middle  of  June  are  commonly  ready 
to  harvest  by  the  last  week  in  August  and  rarely  delay  their  ripening 


Fig.  6. — Field  of  tobacco,  showing  the  method  used  by  the  harvesters  in  cutting  the 

stalks  with  long-handled  shears. 


until  the  latter  part  of  September,  though  in  infrequent  unfavorable 
seasons  the  grower  is  driven  to  harvest  his  tobacco  about  that  time, 
despite  the  immaturity  of  the  leaf,  to  avoid  the  fatality  of  a  sharp 
frost. 

When  the  whole  plant  is  harvested  it  is  cut  off  near  the  ground 
by  means  of  long-handled  shears  made  especially  for  the  purpose  and 
is  allowed  to  wilt  for  several  hours  (fig.  G).  In  the  Clinton-Lycom- 
ing  district  tobacco  is  harvested  by  means  of  a  corn  cutter,  the  plant 
being  bent  over  by  one  hand  and  severed  at  the  base  by  a  single  stroke 
of  the  cutter  held  in  the  other  hand.  If  the  sun  is  hot,  care  must 
be  taken  that  the  leaves  do  not  scorch  or  sunburn. 


416 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


17 


As  soon  as  the  plants  have  wilted  sufficiently  to  be  handled  without 
a  serious  breaking  of  the  leaves,  they  are  strung  upon  ordinary  4-foot 
laths  by  means  of  a  detachable  iron-pointed  spear  fitted  to  one  end  of 
the  lath  and  made  to  pierce  through  the  butt  of  the  stem,  five  or  six 
plants  filling  one  lath.  Before  they  are  strung  care  should  be  taken 
to  see  that  all  the  worms  and  suckers  are  removed  from  the  plants. 
The  suckers  will  continue  to  grow  and  will  prevent  the  leaves  from 
curing  properly  in  the  shed.  Many  growers  before  taking  the 
tobacco  to  the  curing  shed  hang  it  for  one  or  two  days  upon  portable 
racks  (fig.  7)  in  order  to  bring  the  leaf  to  the  wilted  condition  de¬ 
sired.  The  tobacco  is  then  hung  upon  a  wagon  built  for  the  purpose 
and  is  conveyed  to  the  curing  shed. 


Pig.  7. — Field  of  tobacco  during  harvest,  showing  the  way  the  stalks  are  strung  on  laths, 
the  manner  of  scaffolding,  and  the  type  of  wagon  used  in  hauling  the  tobacco  to  the 
curing  shed. 


CURING  AND  HANDLING. 


CURING  SHEDS. 

The  majority  of  the  small  tobacco  growers  thrash  out  their  grain 
early,  stack  their  straw,  and  then  use  their  barn  mows  and  driveways 
for  curing  tobacco.  The  space  is  provided  with  a  timber  framework  to 
support  the  tobacco-filled  laths,  which  are  hung,  beginning  near  the 
ridgepole,  side  by  side  about  6  inches  apart  and  in  descending  tiers 
so  closely  placed  that  a  space  of  not  more  than  4  to  6  inches  is  left 
between  the  tips  of  the  plants  in  one  tier  and  the  butts  of  those  in 
the  next  lower  tier.  At  the  time  of  hanging  the  tobacco,  care  is  taken 

41G 


18  CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 

that  the  plants  are  uniformly  spread  upon  the  laths,  as  immediate 
contact  of  the  plants  may  lead  to  the  injury  of  the  leaves  in  curing. 

The  large  growers,  however,  usually  erect  separate  curing  sheds 
provided  with  some  system  for  controlling  the  ventilation.  (See 
fig.  8.)  In  some  cases  top  ventilation  is  secured  by  means  of  slatted 
ventilators  set  in  the  gable  ends  of  the  shed  or  in  the  roof  along  the 
ridgepole,  or  by  means  of  valved,  cylindrical,  metal  ventilators  set  in 
the  roof  peak.  In  others,  side  ventilation  is  adopted  and  either 
vertical  ventilators  are  made  by  inserting  loose  boards  at  intervals  of 
a  few  feet  along  the  sides  of  the  shed,  or  horizontal  boards,  hinged 
above  and  fastened  to  a  common  vertical  lifting  rod,  are  fixed  in 


Fig.  8. — A  tobacco  curing  shed  with  horizontal  ventilators. 

the  sides  of  the  shed  at  points  near  the  lower  end  of  each  tier.  In 
still  other  cases  the  floor  beams  project  on  each  side  beyond  the 
foundation  walls,  and  the  wall  plates  rest  upon  the  ends  of  these 
beams  rather  than  directly  over  or  upon  the  foundation  walls.  The 
floor  between  these  two  lines  of  walls  consists  of  trap  doors,  which 
can  be  raised  to  secure  bottom  ventilation. 

Very  commonly  the  system  adopted  provides  for  both  side  and 
roof  ventilators,  each  under  control  from  the  floor,  or  for  bottom 
and  top  ventilators.  Heating  systems  for  the  control  of  ventilation 
are  very  exceptional.  In  the  Clinton-Lycoming  district  the  vertical- 
hinged  side  ventilator  is  almost  exclusively  used,  sometimes  with 
the  addition  of  a  roof  ventilator. 


416 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


19 


THE  CURING  PROCESS.® 


Tobacco  in  curing  gives  off  large  quantities  of  moisture,  but  the 
process  is  not  a  simple  drying.  The  leaf  is  the  seat  of  rapid  chemical 
processes  by  which  heat  is  developed.  If  the  air  in  the  sheds  becomes 
dry  the  leaf  becomes  brittle  and  retains  most  of  its  green  color,  as 
well  as  its  raw  flavor  and  aroma.  After  the  first  ten  days  or  two 
weeks,  therefore,  the  doors  must  be  closed,  especially  in  dry,  windy 
weather,  and  the  ventilators  partly  or  wholly  shut.  The  loss  of 
water  from  the  plant  is  most  rapid  after  the  leaf  has  turned  yellow. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  danger  as  the  curing  progresses,  and 
especially  in  rainy  or  in  quiet,  foggy  weather,  that  the  humidity  of 
the  air  in  the  curing  shed  may  become  excessive.  If  the  heat  given 
off  by  the  plants  should,  at  the  same  time,  elevate  the  temperature  to 
between  70°  and  90°  F.,  the  tobacco  at  any  time  during  the  first  three' 
weeks  of  the  curing  is  very  much  subject  to  attack  by  pole-burn, 
which  may  in  a  single  day  ruin  the  entire  crop.  When,  therefore, 
the  air  of  the  shed  becomes  highly  moist,  every  effort  must  be  made 
to  promote  ventilation,  especially  when  the  presence  of  a  faint  am- 
moniacal  odor  gives  warning  that  pole-burn  has  already  begun  its 
attack. 


There  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  a  heating  system,  such  as  will 
make  possible  the  development  of  air  currents  in  the  shed  in  times 
when  the  outer  air  is  moist  and  quiet,  will  enable  the  careful  tobacco 
farmer  to  overcome  the  dangers  from  pole-burn.  This  is  the  more 
clearly  perceived  when  it  is  recognized  that  at  temperatures  below 
70°  and  above  90°  F.  the  danger  from  pole-burn  is  not  great,  and 
that  the  tendency  to  attack  is  greatly  diminished  so  long  as  the  leaves 
can  freely  discharge  their  moisture  into  the  surrounding  air.  The 
capacity  of  air  for  holding  moisture  increases  very  rapidly  as  its 
temperature  rises.  Consequently  the  sudden  warming  of  air  satu¬ 
rated  with  moisture  not  only  tends  to  set  up  a  circulation  in  foggy 
weather,  but  will  enable  the  air  to  take  up  more  moisture  from  the 
leaves  and  thus  tide  the  crop  over  the  danger  point  until  the  outer 
air  is  restored  to  its  normally  favorable  condition.  As  already  noted, 
Pennsylvania  farmers,  with  few  exceptions,  have  not  availed  them¬ 
selves  of  this  method  of  control. 

While  the  dangers  from  pole-burn  are  confined  to  the  earlier  stages 
of  the  cure,  excessive  moisture  in  the  shed  at  a  later  period  is  also 
undesirable,  since  it  favors  the  development  of  the  mold  that  causes 
white-vein. 


a  For  a  full  account  of  the  air  conditions  in  the  curing  shed  and  the  changes 
in  the  appearance  and  weight  of  the  leaf  while  curing  by  the  usual  Pennsyl¬ 
vania  practice,  see  Pennsylvania  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  Report,  1S94, 
pp.  20S-21S. 

416 


20  CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 

By  the  last  of  September  the  entire  crop  is  usually  housed,  and 
that  which  was  harvested  first  is  partly  cured.  It  is  not  until  the 
middle  or  the  last  of  November  that  the  tobacco  is  cured  off  well 
enough  to  be  stripped.  The  midrib  is  the  last  part  of  the  leaf  to 
lose  its  moisture,  and  until  this  is  thoroughly  dry  it  is  not  safe  to 
begin  to  strip. 

After  the  leaves  are  cured  they  are  dry  and  brittle  and  can  not  be 
handled  until  a  period  of  wet  weather  sets  in,  when  they  become 
damp  and  elastic.  When  in  this  condition  the  tobacco,  still  on  the 
laths,  is  taken  from  the  scaffold  and  piled  compactly  in  heaps  on  the 
floor  of  the  shed.  It  is  then  covered  over  with  corn  fodder  to  keep 
it  from  drying  out.  From  the  heaps  it  is  taken  to  the  dampening 
cellar,  where  it  is  put  in  the  proper  condition  of  moistness  for 
stripping. 

THE  DAMPENING  CELLAR. 

The  dampening  cellar  is  often  located  under  the  curing  shed;  in 
other  cases  it  is  a  portion  of  the  barn  basement,  walled  off  from  the 
stables.  It  is  commonly  adjacent  to  a  well-lighted  stripping  room, 
which  is  provided  with  a  stove,  so  that  the  room  may  be  kept  com¬ 
fortable  for  work  during  the  colder  winter  weather.  The  cellar 
usually  has  an  earth  floor,  which  may  be  sprinkled  as  need  may  arise, 
thus  keeping  the  air  sufficiently  humid  to  put  the  tobacco  rapidly 
in  case  for  stripping.  The  best  dampening  cellars  are  almost  entirely 
below  the  ground  level  and  have  their  floors  several  feet  lower  than 
those  of  the  neighboring  stripping  rooms. 

In  the  Clinton-Lycoming  district  all  growers  use  cellars  in  prejDar- 
ing  their  tobacco  for  stripping. 

ARTIFICIAL  MEANS  OF  DAMPENING. 

Considerable  difficulty  is  frequently  encountered  in  getting  a  suffi¬ 
cient  quantity  of  tobacco  into  the  proper  condition  of  moistness  to 
keep  busy  the  men  in  the  stripping  room,  and  therefore  the  farmer 
sometimes  deems  it  necessary  to  use  artificial  means  of  dampening. 
Various  methods  are  practiced.  The  easiest  is  to  sprinkle  lukewarm 
water  over  the  butts  of  the  stalks  after  the  tobacco  has  been  hung  in 
the  cellar.  A  less  harsh  method  is  to  have  a  water  boiler  on  the  stove 
in  the  stripping  room  and  to  force  the  steam  from  this  into  the  damp¬ 
ening  cellar.  The  steam  is  allowed  to  escape  near  the  floor  and  on 
rising  dampens  the  tobacco. 

All  artificial  means  of  dampening  are,  in  general,  condemned  by 
the  packers,  because  of  the  rot  which  the  excessive  moisture  will  prob¬ 
ably  cause  while  the  tobacco  is  sweating. 

A  properly  constructed  cellar  with  a  capacity  of  500  or  600  laths 
should,  under  ordinary  conditions,  without  any  artificial  means  of 

416 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


21 


dampening,  keep  four  strippers  working  continuously.  It  is  neces¬ 
sary,  however,  that  the  cellar  be  filled  each  day  from  the  shed,  since 
the  tobacco  must  hang  in  the  cellar  at  least  thirty-six  hours  to  become 
fully  damp. 

STRIPPING  AND  SORTING. 

From  the  dampening  cellar  the  tobacco  is  taken  to  the  stripping 
room,  where  the  stalks  are  removed  from  the  laths  and  then  stripped 
of  the  leaves. 

The  leaves  are  usually  sorted  into  two  grades,  commonly  called 
u  fillers  ”  and  “  wrappers,”  although,  as  previously  stated,  the  latter 
are  chiefly  used  for  filler  purposes.  For  the  fillers  are  taken  all  the 
lower  or  sand  leaves  and  for  the  wrappers  all  the  other  leaves  free 
from  blemishes.  Sometimes  three  grades  are  made.  In  the  Clinton- 
Lycoming  district  but  two  grades  as  to  length  and  quality  are  used, 
while  in  the  Bradford-Tioga  district  some  growers  make  but  one 
grade  of  sound  tobacco.  The  tobacco  is  then  tied  up  in  hanks  or 
bunches  of  15  to  20  leaves  each.  The  leaves  in  the  bunches  are  tied 
together  by  wrapping  a  leaf  about  the  butt  ends. 

The  hanks  are  usually  tied  up  in  bales  of  about  50  pounds  each. 
In  the  Bradford-Tioga  district  the  bales  are  not  uniform  in  weight, 
but  range  from  25  to  50  pounds.  The  bales  are  wrapped  in  heavy 
paper  with  the  ends  open  and  are  tied  with  three  or  four  hemp  twines. 

It  is  in  this  shape  that  the  tobacco  is  sold  to  the  packer.  In  the 
Clinton-Lycoming  district,  however,  the  tobacco  is  delivered  to  the 
packer  in  the  case  and  a  tobacco  press  is  commonly  used  in  filling 
the  case.  There  are  two  ways  in  which  tobacco  in  this  shape  is 
generally  sold.  One  way  is  on  the  basis  of  so  many  cents  a  pound 
for  the  wrappers  and  so  many  cents  a  pound  for  the  fillers. 
The  other  way  is  on  the  basis  of  so  much  a  pound  for  every  pound 
in  the  crop.  The  latter  method  is  almost  universal  in  the  Clinton- 
Lycoming  district. 


COST  OF  PRODUCTION. 

In  a  survey  made  by  the  writers  in  1908  to  ascertain  the  cost  of 
production  of  Seedleaf  tobacco  a  on  a  number  of  the  better  conducted 
tobacco  farms  of  Lancaster  County,  it  was  found  that  the  cost  per 
acre,  including  the  rental  value  of  the  land  and  buildings,  the  de¬ 
preciation  of  equipment,  the  expense  of  preparing  the  land  in  its 
manured  state,  of  planting,  cultivating,  harvesting,  curing,  stripping, 
and  preparing  the  crop  for  market,  and  of  delivering  it  to  the  rail¬ 
way,  ranged  from  $90.07  to  $126.74,  averaging  $112.42. 

°A  complete  report  of  this  survey  appears  in  the  Pennsylvania  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station  Report  for  1908-9,  pp.  185-198. 

416 


22 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


The  yields  upon  the  farms  studied  ranged  from  1.075  to  2,267 
pounds  per  acre,  averaging  1,639  pounds.  The  cost  per  pound  of 
stripped  tobacco,  calculated  from  the  corresponding  cost  and  yield 
per  acre,  ranged  from  4  cents  to  11.3  cents,  averaging  7.4  cents. 

It  was  found  that  intensive  cultivation,  and  especially  the  use  of 
a  vigorous  strain  of  plants,  so  greatly  increased  the  yield  as  to  keep 
the  cost  per  pound  near  the  lower  point. 

TOBACCO  DISEASES  AND  ENEMIES. 

From  the  time  the  seed  is  planted  until  the  tobacco  is  ready  for 
manufacture  it  is  running  the  gauntlet  of  a  succession  of  diseases  and 
enemies. 

The  covers  of  the  seed  bed  to  some  degree  protect  the  young  seed¬ 
lings  from  attacks  by  beetles,  but  the  snail  is  often  very  destructive, 
eating  off  the  young  leaves  as  they  develop. 

Immediately  after  transplanting,  the  cutworms  begin  their  ravages. 
The  custom  of  placing  bran  or  green  vegetable  material  mixed  with 
arsenical  poison  at  frequent  intervals  along  the  row  is  found  quite 
efficient  in  destroying  these  worms. 

Frenching  and  “  foxy  ’’  tobacco  sometimes  appear,  the  latter  espe¬ 
cially  in  unfavorable  seasons ;  likewise  the  rust.  Against  these  fungi 
and  diseases  no  remedy  has  been  found  efficient,  which  is  also  true  of 
the  rather  frequent  instances  of  the  mosaic  disease. 

In  Pennsylvania,  as  in  all  other  American  tobacco  regions,  the  large 
hornworms,  or  tobacco  worms,  several  inches  in  length,  begin  their 
attacks  not  long  after  transplanting  and  sometimes  devour  all  but 
the  stalk  and  midribs  of  the  plant.  Removal  by  hand  and  constant 
vigilance  are  relied  on  in  this  section  as  preventives  of  the  serious 
injuries  these  worms  quickly  accomplish.  Here  and  there  tobacco 
farmers  give  the  growing  crop,  some  weeks  before  the  time  of  harvest, 
a  spraying  with  some  arsenical  poison.®  This  greatly  assists  in  com¬ 
bating  the  attacks  of  leaf-biting  insects.  Subsequent  rains  often  re¬ 
move  the  evidences  of  such  applications.  Flea-beetles,  grasshoppers, 
crickets,  and  stinkbugs  often  work  considerable  injury  by  perforating 
the  leaf,  and  the  budworm  occasionally  hollows  out  the  flower  buds  so 
as  to  prevent  seed  formation.  Constant  inspection  of  the  tobacco 
and  the  removal  of  these  leaf  eaters  is  essential  to  success. 

Immediately  after  the  tobacco  is  hung  in  the  curing  shed  the 
danger  from  pole-burn  begins.  The  means  now  used  for  preventing 
or  controlling  this  disease,  from  which  few  crops  wholly  escape,  have 
been  mentioned  in  the  discussion  of  curing.  The  disease  appears  to 

®For  methods  of  applying  arsenical  poisons  and  for  other  remedies  for  the 
control  of  the  hornworms  and  other  tobacco  insects,  see  Farmers’  Bulletin  120 
and  Circular  123,  Bureau  of  Entomology,  U.  S.  Dept,  of  Agriculture. 

416 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


23 


be  due  to  the  successive  action  of  associated  molds  and  bacteria,  for 
whose  destruction  no  means  applicable  to  the  conditions  are  known. 
Pole-burned  leaf  turns  dark  brown,  is  wet  and  soggy,  easily  torn,  and 
has  practically  no  value.  White-vein,®  which  may  appear  later  in 
the  curing,  is  a  white  mold  which  attacks  not  only  the  midrib  of 
the  leaf  but  also  the  adjacent  web  and  causes  it  to  become  tender  and 
rotten.  The  spores  of  this  disease  remain  in  the  dust  and  trash  of 
the  curing  shed,  but  they  can  be  almost  entirely  overcome  by  cleaning 
and  fumigating  the  shed  before  harvest. 

Finally,  the  tobacco  in  the  case  is  often  attacked  by  molds  which 
make  it  musty  and  by  black-rot,  the  cause  of  which  is  not  thoroughly 
known.  The  black-rot,  as  its  name  implies,  is  the  cause  of  masses  of 
leaf  in  the  interior  of  the  case  turning  black  and  becoming  tender,  so 
that  the  leaves  are  unavoidably  torn  in  the  handling.  While  musty 
tobacco  unfavorably  affects  the  flavor  and  aroma  of  the  cigar,  it  is  a 
matter  of  general  observation  that  the  cigars  from  tobacco  affected  by 
black-rot  often  possess  a  peculiarly  pleasant  aroma. 

Care  in  preventing  the  harvesting  of  green  tobacco,  the  develop¬ 
ment  of  mold  during  the  curing,  the  packing  of  tobacco  when  it  is  in 
too  “  high  case  ” — excessively  moist — and  its  overheating  are  the  only 
means  of  prevention  now  known  for  the  foes  here  considered. 

CULTURAL  METHODS  DESERVING  SPECIAL  CONSIDERATION  BY 
THE  TOBACCO  GROWERS  OF  PENNSYLVANIA. 

(1)  The  use  of  catch  crops,  such  as  wheat,  rye,  or  sand  vetch,  after 
corn  or  between  succeeding  crops  of  tobacco,  to  keep  the  soil  in  a 
spongy,  fertile  condition. 

(2)  The  separation  by  blowing  in  an  appropriate  apparatus6  of 
all  tobacco  seed,  so  that  the  light  seed,  which  is  generally  worth¬ 
less  and  productive  of  weak  plants,  if  it  germinates  at  all,  shall  be 
whollv  removed. 

(3)  The  testing  of  the  heavy  seed  obtained  by  blowing  by  a  pre¬ 
liminary  germination.  This  is  especially  desirable  when  old  seed  is 
to  be  used  or  that  which  has  been  harvested,  as  is  sometimes  neces¬ 
sary,  before  it  has  completely  ripened  in  the  pod.  Concerning  old 
seed,  it  may  be  remarked  that  the  vitality  of  some  individual  tobacco 
seeds  is  of  many  years  duration,  a  fact  of  much  importance  where  it 
is  desired  to  return  to  the  original  characters  of  a  strain  or  where 
seasonal  conditions  have  for  several  years  been  unfavorable  to  the 

a  These  diseases  are  more  fully  discussed  in  Pennsylvania  Agricultural  Ex¬ 
periment  Station  Report,  1894,  pp.  201-206. 

6  The  method  used  in  separating  the  heavy  from  the  light,  less  perfect  seed 
is  described  in  the  Yearbook  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  for  1904,  pp. 
440-142. 

416 


24 


CIGAR-LEAF  TOBACCO  IN  PENNSYLVANIA. 


best  development  of  the  corresponding  seed  crops.  Long  keeping 
lowers  the  vitality  of  the  average  seed,  however,  and  the  use  of  seed 
of  uncertain  vitality  may  risk  the  entire  season's  work. 

(4)  The  careful  selection  of  seed  plants.  This  is  of  the  greatest 
importance.  Tobacco  self-fertilizes  for  years  without  apparent 
loss  of  vigor.  Cross- fertilization  may  be  prevented  by  fastening  a 
bag  of  stout  paper  over  the  flower  head  before  the  blossoms  open, 
without  injury  to  the  seed  pods,  if  the  bags  are  perforated  with 
fine  openings  so  as  to  secure  ventilation.  (See  fig.  2.)  The  bags  can 
readily  be  perforated  by  means  of  an  ordinary  sewing  machine,  no 
thread  being  used  in  the  needle.  The  seed  from  self-fertilized  plants 


Fig.  9. — Field  of  tobacco,  showing  a  banner  crop  of  Pennsylvania  Seedleaf.  The  seed  for 
these  plants  was  carefully  selected,  bagged,  and  separated  by  blowing  in  a  seed  grader. 


produce  offspring  of  remarkable  uniformity  and  similarity  to  the  par¬ 
ent  plant.  (See  fig.  9.)  Propagation  from  the  seed  of  carefully 
selected,  self-fertilized  plants  is  a  highly  valuable  means,  therefore, 
of  securing  uniform  plants  of  the  most  desirable  quality  represented 
in  the  crop  from  which  the  selection  is  made.  It  is  clear  also  that 
lack  of  care  in  the  selection  of  seed  plants,  whether  they  are  self- 
fertilized  or  not,  will  probably  result  in  the  maintaining  of  an  infe¬ 
rior  strain  of  the  variety  chosen  for  cultivation. 

By  careful  selection  it  has  been  found  possible  to  limit  the  propa¬ 
gation  to  the  plants  most  vigorous  in  growth,  most  highly  resistant 
to  the  fungous  diseases  that  appear  in  the  field,  having  the  least 
tendency  to  wasteful  suckering,  and  of  the  most  desirable  form, 

416 


O 


